Coca-Cola FEMSA – one
of the pillars of Coca-Cola’s global bottling system – has opened a new plant
on the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia, that ranks as the bottler’s most efficient
plant in the world.

Coca-Cola FEMSA
invested $250 million in the plant. The facility, which is a major addition to
the business landscape in Colombia, was celebrated at an inauguration ceremony
on June 5 that included the president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos.

The Coca-Cola system
was represented by several senior
leaders: Jose Antonio Fernandez, president of FEMSA Management Council; Carlos
Salazar, FEMSA General Director; John Anthony Santa Maria, Coca-Cola FEMSA
General Director; and Alfredo Rivera, president of Coca-Cola Latin Center.

“This is what we want
in Colombia,” President Santos said. “Individuals like Jose Antonio Fernandez,
who believe in our country, and who not only say it or express it but make it
real through investments like this.”

President Santos
thanked Coca-Cola FEMSA and the company for the system’s role in Colombia. “We
want you to continue doing more and more business,” he said. “If you do well,
the country does well, too. We generate more jobs, more prosperity.”

President Santos said
the government is working to support foreign investment in Colombia, including construction
of new, improved roads and investments in 58 airports across the country.

President Santos also
refuted a news report that said the government was considering a tax on
sugar-sweetened beverages. “I want you to rest assured
that no one is thinking right now on a new tax reform,” he said.

Coca-Cola FEMSA’s new bottling plant is in Tocancipá.
It was built with sustainability in mind, including new technologies that save water
and reduce the use of electricity. The bottler employs 9,000 people in Colombia
and has seven bottling plants.

In line with the system’s goal to benefit
communities where we do business and as part of the new bottling plant opening,
Coca-Cola FEMSA committed to invest $1 million in the development of the
Tocancipá area, including in water; sustainable packaging; active, healthy
living; and education.